LESSON ACTIVITY #1

“WHAT’S IN A STORY?”

Intermediate/Middle School Level

Objective: Introduce participants to the elements of a story through brainstorming,

aligning to a quote by an author, and connecting it to The Story Engine Deck cards.
Participants will then use a prompt from The Story Engine Deck to write creatively.

Course connections: English Language Arts

Common core: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6-12.3, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6-12.4

Estimated time:
• Lesson: 20 minutes
• Writing: option 1 = 20 to 30 minutes; option 2 = 20 minutes
• Reflection: 5 to 10 minutes

Assessment: Have participants share their stories orally or by handing them in at the
end of the class.

Key terms:
• Cue: A signal to do something; a hint
• Prompt: An urge to action; to help with a cue; to inspire

Alternatives and accommodations:

• Not all stories need to be written down. Allow participants to illustrate their
ideas and stories.
• Provide copies of the quote and cards to participants who would benefit from
being able to work with the cards individually.
• Have participants work in groups of four to five rather than as a class.

For at-home use: If you don’t have a dry erase board, use a blank piece of paper to
help participants visualize the connections between the ingredients that make a good
story, the quote from Douglas Glover and The Story Engine Deck cards.

Steps:
1. Discuss:
a. What makes a good story?
b. If you were to write a recipe for making a story, what ingredients would
you include and why? Write suggestions for all participants to see. (E.g.,
This lesson was designed for The Story Engine Deck. For more resources, visit storyenginedeck.com. p. 1
 characters, setting, motivations, goals, conflicts, props, timelines, details,
dialogue, beginning, middle, end, etc.)
2. Canadian author Douglas Glover wrote that “A story consists of someone wanting
something and having trouble getting it.” Write this quote near to the list of story
ingredients.
3. Ask: What are the keywords in that quote? How do they match the story
ingredients you brainstormed?
4. Connect the words that match from the list and the quote. (E.g., “Someone” =
character, “wanting” = motivation, “something” = a prop or another character,
“trouble” = conflict.)
5. Ask participants to think about a book, comic, movie, TV show, or play they enjoy.
Think of a character who would be the “someone” in Glover’s quote. Brainstorm:
a. What kind of character are they?
b. What is their motivation?
c. What do they want or are trying to accomplish?
d. What obstacles do they face?
e. What other story details make the story feel unique or interesting?
6. Share with participants: The Story Engine Deck provides five types of cards that
are ingredients in making a story. 1 Agent to create characters. 2 Engine cards
provide motivations. 3 Anchor cards provide objects, events, and locations that
a character might want something from. 4 Conflict cards provide obstacles and
consequences. 5 Aspect cards provide description and details. Each card has two
or four cues (i.e., suggestions for a piece of a story). Simple story prompts can be
created by arranging cards into patterns. There are three ways to arrange cards:
a. Place: Put a card on the table faceup. Place cards from left to right unless
otherwise specified.
b. Tuck: Place a card faceup under another card so that one cue from the
bottom card is visible.
c. Rotate: Turn a placed or tucked card so a new cue is facing you.
7. Demonstrate by selecting one card from each category and placing, tucking and
rotating to create a story seed (1 Agent, 2 Engine, 3 Anchor, 4 Conflict; the 5
Aspect card may be tucked under another card to add detail). See the appendix
for a sample prompt and examples of how it could be interpreted. For more
information on using the cards, see The Story Engine Deck Guidebook (included in
every PDF download and in the box with the main deck).
8. Lesson extension option 1: Have participants use the story seed you created to
either write for 20 to 30 minutes or sketch an idea (written or illustrated) of where
they would take the story. Follow this time with reflection, ask participants:
a. What parts of the story were easiest to write?
b. Which parts were the most difficult?
c. Did having a prompt or cue make it more difficult or easier?
d. If a prompt helps guide the beginning of a story, how do you decide how it
ends?
9. Lesson extension option 2: Provide the cards for each participant to assemble
and review. Allow 10 to 15 minutes to place, tuck and rotate the cards to create
This lesson was designed for The Story Engine Deck. For more resources, visit storyenginedeck.com. p. 2
 individual prompts. Encourage participants to review any vocabulary on the cards
they might not understand by using a dictionary. Follow this time with reflection,
ask participants:
e. What kinds of stories might these elements be a part of?
f. How could these cards fit together to make stories?

Appendix:

Example prompt: A musician wants to draw attention to an unlucky village but they
must face their deepest fear.

(This prompt could be about an aspiring songwriter who wants to help their struggling
hometown by writing a song about it, but they have been too afraid to share their music
with anyone ever before. Or about a rapper who wants to draw attention to city that was
hit by a natural disaster, but they have stage fright.)

These same cards could also be rotated and rearranged to create a whole new
prompt. For example: An unlucky artist wants to achieve a dream involving a
restaurant but it will cost them the world they know.

(This could be a story about a down-on-their-luck artist who has always wanted to become
a chef and open a restaurant, but they will have to leave behind the art world and try
something totally unfamiliar.)

Lesson plan developed by Kendra Harrison.

This lesson was designed for The Story Engine Deck. For more resources, visit storyenginedeck.com. p. 3